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Dire Dawa is one of two chartered cities in Ethiopia (the other being the capital, Addis Ababa). It is divided administratively into two Woredas, the city proper and the non-urban woreda of Gurgura. There are 24 urban kebeles and 28 rural peasants associations under the chartered city. Currently, more than half a million people resides in Dire Dawa.

FSCE established Dire Dawa Area Program Office in 1996 to realize the protection and wellbeing of disadvantaged children in Dire Dawa city and since then, it has been implementing various child protection interventions.

Currently, the APO is working in ‘kebele’ 02, 03, 04, 06 & 08 of the city of Dire Dawa. The number of APO\'s staff currently stands at 30 of which 53% of them are females and 67% of them are program staff.

In the year 2014 the APO obtained over five million birr from Kinder Not Hilfe (KNH) and utilized successfully.

Dessie is one of the antiques cities in the country which is over 100 years old. Geographically, the town is located 400 km. away from Addis Ababa along the road to Mekele. It is surrounded by a chain of mountains which is claimed to be the main reason affecting its growth and development.

Dessie is the capital city of South Wollo Administrative Zone. Southern Wollo is one of the zones in Amhara Region which is one of the largest federal states in the country with a total area of 161,828 square kilometer and a population of 16,792, 335 (CSA’s projection for 1998).

According to a projection of CSA (1998), the total population of Dessie is 205,000 of which 37.8 percent are Children. The town covers a total area of 28 square kilometers. Concerning the number of orphans of all causes and vulnerable children (OVC) in the town, there are no empirical data but some indicative information show the increasing trend of orphans in the town. According to the estimation given from FSCE-Dessie branch, there are 3163 orphans of whom 1433 are female children.

Since its inception, FSCE Dessie has been undertaking different programs in Dessie town and now has also girls support scholarship program in kombolcha and Dessie high schools that aimed at enabling disadvantaged children to improve their harsh living conditions.

FSCE Dessie project so far has organized its activities into some interrelated and integrated programs: Holistic and Integrated Child Development including Education, Community Health Promotion, and Livelihood Promotion); Advocacy and Awareness Raising on Child issues; Child Protection, Prevention and Support; HIV/ AIDS and Gender mainstreaming.

At this moment the whole programs have successfully been phased out with the exception of Prevention and Protection of Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children and support of Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) in Dessie Town, girls support scholarship, HIV / ADIS and Gender mainstreaming programs.

The target areas where the projects/program are being implemented encompass the urban centre of Dessie town mainly focusing on target Kebeles 01, 02, 03, 04, 05 and 06; where there is high concentration of sexually abused and exploited children for various reasons. As to the program on OVC, kebele 07, 08, 09, and 10 are under focus. In relative terms, these kebeles have high numbers of orphans and other vulnerable children.

The projects are technically and financially assisted mainly by FSCE’s such long time partner agencies namely Save the Children Denmark and PACT Ethiopia

II. Area of Intervention

The areas of intervention have been reduced to almost three main projects after several of them have successfully been handed over for the pertinent community and government bodies to manage. The ones on the pipeline are portrayed here under:

A. The Preventive and Support Program for sexually abused and exploited children and Support of OVC

The program on Preventive and Support Program for sexually abused and exploited children and support of OVC is going to be implemented in the urban center of Dessie town. Using rehabilitation as an objective, the program offers various basic services; intensive counselling and skill trainings for 75 sexually abused and exploited children at two centres known to be DIC (Drop in centre) and the safe home.

B. support Orphans and other vulnerable children

The OVC support program is aiming to assist 200 orphans and vulnerable children through using existing community based structures like iddirs. In this regard 5 iddirs created coalition to support the target OVC in many ways .The project assists by capacitating their skill so that they can manage issues of the children. The youth centre is the service provider where the OVC can get various services which include, tutorial service, counselling, library etc

C. Project Structure and management

The project is managed by a project manager and supported by two project officers (prevention of sexually abused and exploited and support of OVC and Girls Empowerment officers) and one Admin and Finance officer. They are responsible for the implementation and monitoring of the day-to-day activities of the project.

Primary Target Area

The project in its program implementation targets the following children and members of the community:

Sexually abused & exploited children (living on the street, working in bars/brothel houses, living in rented houses and work as freelance commercial sex workers will be identified from all parts of the towns to benefit from the activities rendered at the Drop-in-center.

The indirect target groups of the project are:

The School Community

Children: Children in the whole of Dessie and the surrounding areas will benefit from the information transmitted through the media, and champagne on children’s issues, sexual abuse and exploitation of children, the situation of OVC and child protection issues.

Parents: 100 households from the target kebeles as well as from other areas in which sexually abused and exploited children are concentrated will be addressed in the regular home based community conversation awareness creation program about children, sexual abuse and exploitation of children and child protection issues, parental skills, etc.

Bar owners: small drinking place or inn owners will participate in awareness raising programs on sexual abuse and exploitation of children and child protection

Law enforcers: police officers, prosecutors and judges will participate in awareness raising program on sexual abuse & exploitation of children and situation of OVC and child protection issues in Dessie town.

Communities: Community & religious leaders, members of traditional groups, CBOs, staff from Non government organizations, will participate in awareness creation workshops, and media programs sexual abuse and exploitation of children, OVC and child protection issues .

Project office Address

Tel. +251 331 118 747

+251 331 124 129

E mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Adama APO is implementing various projects around Adama town Preventive and support for sexually abused and exploited children: the program focuses on preventive and support programs for sexually abused and exploited children in order to facilitate the rehabilitation and the reintegration of the victims to the community. The program is serving children exposed to commercial sex work and street life by uniquely setting a Drop in Center where the targets get no-formal education, health education Guidance and counseling, shower and laundry, skill training and recreational services.

Safe home: Operates in three Kebeles where the "Drop in" Center is located, and involves the community by providing the necessary information, skills and services for families, youth, traditional associations, police, schools, health institutions, etc. on the causes and magnitudes of the problem to involve them in the prevention and problem solving process.

ICT: the program aims to enhance the learning experience and livelihood skills of the marginalized groups of Street children sexually abused and exploited children vulnerable female school children and street youth; to encourage creativity and give improved service delivery system in education, health and livelihood skills through ICT and to benefit children of the urban poor develop and release their Potentials to succeed in their life.

Unit for abused and neglected children (UANC) : The unit is established in the premises of Adama hospital having the goal to prevent and reduce child abuse and abandonment by promoting preventive measures and providing medical and psychosocial support to ensure the survival and development of abandoned and abused children in the city.

Saving and credit: is to enable the children engage in small business activities by providing initial capital under the supervision of Madams.

Non formal education: is to provide basic literacy and numeric classes for the illiterate children; to give tutorial classes for school dropouts.

Skill training: is to equip some of the children with marketable skills that makes them competent for employment and/or self-employment

Shower and laundry: under this service children are availed soaps, water, and cleaning materials for keeping their personal hygiene.

Recreation: This program aims to help children spend their spare time in a safe place and develop healthy modes of entertainment and leisure. Different types of recreational services like basket ball, foot ball, table tennis, computer game, dart, hand ball, video show etc. are offered to target children within the compound of the ‘Drop in Centre’. Children are also encouraged to read books.

Guidance and counselling: target children are provided with individual and group counselling on different issues related to their personal life, family life, work practice, education, etc on regular basis and also whenever there is a need

Health Care and health Education: it is to increase the children understanding of the importance of good health and is to reduce the severity and incidence of health problems

Night shelter : the drop in center is also made to serve as a night shelter for those children under the drop in service programs. The aim of the service is to shelter of the children and rescue them from farther abuses they might face while spending the nights on the street.

Out reach program: As part of the outreach program, staffs venture to areas where target children are likely to be and try to encourage them to partake of the services on offer. This is also an opportune way for staff to observe the children’s daily realities.

Meal provision : targets of the drop in center will be provided with one meal service per day .

Bahirdar is well known for its fabulous ecological attraction/natural beauty and strategic importance, which has made qualified to be a seat for the region’s government and the capital city of the Amhara regional state. Currently, it is one of the fast growing cities in Ethiopia.

The city of BahirDar enjoys relatively some considerable facilities like one hospital, one university, private colleges, and institutions and road and communication facilities. According to a projection made by CSA for the year 1999, the total population of Bahr Dar town is 122,202 (51.3% are male while 48.7% are female) and the town covers a total area of 28 kilometre square.

The project is founded in 2002 in the city of Bahirdar and has got operational in the selected areas since then. The major target areas are kebele 4, 5, 6, 11, and 12,14,16,17 in Bahir Dar. In addition, It is planned to reach the neighbouring woredas around Bahir Dar i.e,Merawi, Woreta, Adet, Tis Abay specially to address the issues of child trafficking, sexual abuse and exploitation. Girls’ Empowerment and management project in Adet and Merawi secondary schools out of BahirDar.

Since its establishment, the project has made tremendous effort in intervening in various child centred community based development projects. Currently, the major area of focus include education, girls' club support Empowerment and Management project; awareness raising and child protection program, lively hood promotion, preventive and support program against child sexual abuse, exploitation and trafficking.

The project is funded by different donor agencies which include Kinderpostzegels, Finland Embassy, Pact Ethiopia, save the children Denmark, OAK Foundation and ICCO. All donor agencies except ICCO provide their financial assistance for both administrative and program activities where as ICCO assist salary for some staff members in Bahir Dar project.

I. Scope of Intervention

A. Education

In education unit, it is aimed to access 1,134 disadvantaged children in three cycles: cycle 1 to cycle 3 (grade levels) with alternative basic education at 6 centers and 16 qualified facilitators funded by different donors. In addition, it works to improve the academic performance of 600 female children through tutorial and study support scheme. It has also capacity building schemes to traditional and regular schools where these children may benefit in one way or another.

The program’s contribution is immense without which many children would become out of school for many reasons.

B. Support of Girls’ Clubs

In the long standing relation it has been able to maintain with regular schools, the project has undertaken girls empowerment programs which has created a situation where female children will get an opportunity to improve their academic performance and assertiveness through the constant support the get from the project. Through various assistances they receive in the clubs, female children will be empowered so that they not only can protect themselves from abuses but also continue their schooling.

C. Livelihood Promotion

They scheme intends to capacitate any local initiative that promotes saving and credit scheme for poor women headed households in the target kebeles.In this regard the project assists a typical initiative known as CHORA saving and Credit Assocsation.It association has 165 members and a capital worth 200,000 birr .The project gives technical and financial support for the association so that members may increase their income by participating in viable income generating activities. The association has become a model in economic empowerment of poor women in Bahir Dar that strives to ensure their house hold welfare.

D. Preventive and support program against child sexual abuse, exploitation and trafficking.

Through different intervention program support of pertinent stakeholders, the unit works to ensure rehabilitation of 200 sexually abused and exploited street children with the aim to reunify and reintegrate them either to their families or to the community. It also works in the fight against the act of trafficking or reunification of trafficked children (mostly females) from neighboring areas in search of a better life or a safe heaven after they enter to conflict with their parents.

The intervention activities include provision of basic services, counseling and various skill trainings.

E. Child protection and advocacy

The unit mainly works on three important areas. It facilitates management of the cases of young offenders which are reported to five child protection units. It also Facilitate the cases of victim children along with following-up cases of adult perpetrators.

Children visit the unit for various units that include conflict with parents, loss of parents, and unintentional separation from families. The situation of street Children is mostly surveyed through an out reach patrol session conducted on a regular bases.

F. Community Health Promotion

Access to community health services and information delivery for children in the non formal education centers ,in the rehabilitation centers(DIC and Safe home) and at regular schools is given by health professional on a regular bases .The topics covered include HIV/AIDS, reproductive health, STI and other communicable tropical diseases.

II. Project Structure and Management

The internal structure of the project comprises 6 program staff and 31 support staff members .the project is directed by a project manager and supported by 5 project officers and (Education, Credit, Community health, Girls Empowerment officer, project officer) and one Admin and Finance officer. They are responsible for the implementation and monitoring of the day-to-day activities of the project.

Project office Address

Tel. +251-582 227 248

+251 582 200 375

E mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Addis Ababa is the capital city of Ethiopia. The city is divided into 10 sub cities and 99 ‘woredas’ (‘Kebeles’). Currently, more than 4.5 million people resides and it is a big and sprawling city. It is where the African Union and its predecessor the OAU are based. It also hosts the headquarters of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and numerous other continental and international organizations. Many NGO’s have offices in Addis too.

Forum on Sustainable Child Empowerment (FSCE) previously named as Forum on Street Children-Ethiopia has opened office and started implementation in Addis Ababa since its establishment at the end of 1989.

Previously, FSCE had three Area Program Offices (APOs) in Addis Ababa located in Akaki Kaliti, Addis Ketema and Arada sub cities but following the organizational development (OD) study findings and recommendations in 2013 the three separate APOs where merged into one APO. The newly reorganized Addis Ababa APO has started implementation since September 01, 2014 and is one among the five APOs of FSCE striving to protect and support vulnerable children through comprehensive system approach. Currently, the APO is working in nine sub cities and 17 woredas of Addis Ababa. The number of APO\'s staff currently stands at 46 of which 55% of them are females and 70% of them are program staff.

In the year 2014 the APO obtained over 10.5 million birr from Save the Children International (SCI), Plan International Ethiopia (PIE), Kinder Not Hilfe (KNH), DCI-ECPAT, Ethiopaid and Every child UK and utilized successfully.

FSCE APOs

Adama

Adama

Adama APO is implementing various projects around Adama town Preventive and support for sexually abused and exploited children: the program focuses on preventive and support programs for sexually abused and exploited children in order to facilitate the...

Addis Ababa

Addis Ababa is the capital city of Ethiopia. The city is divided into 10 sub cities and 99 ‘woredas’ (‘Kebeles’). Currently, more than 4.5 million people resides and it is a big and sprawling city. It is where the African Union and its predecessor...

Bahir Dar

Bahirdar is well known for its fabulous ecological attraction/natural beauty and strategic importance, which has made qualified to be a seat for the region’s government and the capital city of the Amhara regional state. Currently, it is one of the...

Dessie

Dessie is one of the antiques cities in the country which is over 100 years old. Geographically, the town is located 400 km. away from Addis Ababa along the road to Mekele. It is surrounded by a chain of mountains which is claimed to be the main...

Dire Dawa

Dire Dawa is one of two chartered cities in Ethiopia (the other being the capital, Addis Ababa). It is divided administratively into two Woredas, the city proper and the non-urban woreda of Gurgura. There are 24 urban kebeles and 28 rural peasants...